Customer Reviews

20 Greatest Christmas Songs

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard of Boney M this past year when a local radio station was playing Mary's Boy Child. It was the best Christmas song I have ever heard. I do not like much Christmas music, but Boney M is the Exception every song on the album is a winner. they are very upbeat and their harmony is great.

I looked for Boney-m Christmas music for years, after hearing the "Mary's Boy Child" medley once on radio. Now that I've found it, I listen to it daily. I love the sound. Thank you, Boney-m, wherever you are.

This is such a great CD, I listen to it at all times of the year. The harmonies are well done and make the music distinct and enjoyable to listen to. Some songs are catchy and uplifting, others are peaceful and sentimental. This CD always puts me in the Christmas spirit - I can't imagine Christmas without it!

I remember Boney M from the days of disco (late 70s, early 80s) and wasn't a huge fan, but I admit I bought this album because the medley of Mary's Boy Child and O My Lord gets played a lot on the radio every Christmas season. Happily, the whole album is good, with the group sounding mellow (but still with a prominent beat) at the right times. For me a good Christmas CD combines some old favorites (this one has Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, The First Noel, Silent Night, etc) with some pretty but unfamiliar songs (Hear Ye the Message, Zion's Daughter, Petit Papa Noel). Boney M can sound delicate and lullabyish on a song like Petit Papa Noel or A Child Is Born, but almost anthemic and bouncy on Joy to the World and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. If you're like me, you get tired of the radio's constant play of Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Burl Ives, etc, and this is a nice alternative--still has that 'sweet' sound you expect of a Christmas CD, but also with that toe-tapping, shake-your-body quality you'd expect from a group that was part of the disco era. Incidentally, the album ends with a very rocky version of Auld Lang Syne--not only is the beat good, but you actually get to hear the 2nd and 3rd voices of that old song.

With Boney M.'s big selling Christmas album from 1981, producer Frank Farian recorded six new Christmas songs with Liz Mitchell and Reggie Tsiboe (who'd replaced dancer Bobby Farrell in 1982) in the summer of 1984; they were, however, only released at the time on a South African LP, but when Boney M. had split up in 1986, Farian wanted to keep the kettle boiling and dug out these disappointingly mediocre recordings, remixed the whole 1981 album but two songs, and released the whole mess in November 1986. And the result is awful! Get the original "Christmas Album" instead (it is available on CD) when you want to get in a Christmas mood, this CD sounds as supermarket muzak ...

I happened to hear a sound bite from this CD on the radio - what an amazing sound! Some songs are rendered in a somewhat "calypso-style", which is generally not my favorite style, yet this has become my favorite Christmas album. You will love this music.

I first heard this christmas music years ago, and I thought my mom was crazy!! You at that time expected the normal christmas tunes. Now I love this and would recommend this cd over any other that I have ever heard.

There's something about the subtle combination of camp and Christmas. This was a classic in my house when I was younger: my parents owned the tape, though Boney M was not quite their demographic's genre. Fond memories include listening to this as I walked through the malls in mid-December, my mother running it on a continuous loop while she did her holiday baking, and having blaring in the background on Christmas Eve while the folks hosted their annual fondue (though that says it all right there). I suppose this was a trendy album at the time, perhaps more akin to the latest offering from the Barenaked Ladies (though never as grim as "Hung for the Holidays"). It struck a chord at the innocence for the holidays, kid-friendly, spiritual -- but not overtly and in your face. Just a happy, upbeat Christmassy-type album.

I heard Marys Boy Child on the radio this year, goggled the group and found this CD. Absolutely LOVE their music! It's older songs with a fun beat. Different, refreshing and becoming my new favorite.

Delivery from Amazon was fast & efficient, but the album was a disappointment. I guess I paid $12 to get the song I wanted (Mary's Little Boy Child/My Sweet Lord) because the rest were either unappealing or very so-so.